Garmin’s new high-end Venu X1 is here to take on some of the priciest smartwatches around – so how does it compare to the suitably premium Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra?
While both are premium wearables, the offerings differ quite vastly depending on the wearable you choose. The Venu X1 boasts better hardware, featuring a larger screen, a bigger battery, and additional features like a built-in LED torch.
However, it’s arguably Samsung and its Wear OS-enabled Galaxy Watch Ultra that offer the best overall experience, even if it’s not quite as capable in the sports tracking department.
That said, here’s how the Garmin Venu X1 compares to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra on paper, with our full in-depth comparison on the way once we’ve spent some time with the new Garmin wearable.
Pricing and availability
The Garmin Venu X1 is a premium smartwatch with a price tag to match, coming in at a cool £679/$799. It’s available for pre-order now, with release set for June 18, 2025.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, despite being Samsung’s premium wearable, comes in at a more affordable £499/$449. And unlike Garmin’s alternative, it’s readily available to buy, having been on the market since July 2024 – and that means you could potentially snag yourself a deal.
The Garmin Venu X1 has a bigger screen
One of the biggest differences between the Garmin Venu X1 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is the size of the screen.
The Venu X1 wins out in this regard, boasting a whopping 2-inch AMOLED panel, which is half an inch larger than the 1.5-inch AMOLED alternative found in the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Combined with Garmin’s new text font options that lets you increase or reduce the size of on-screen text, you could potentially squeeze much more information onto the wrist-worn wearable’s screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra features Wear OS
The primary reason to opt for a Galaxy Watch Ultra over the Garmin Venu X1 is software; while the Venu X1 features Garmin’s proprietary GarminOS, the Galaxy Watch Ultra offers full Wear OS support.
While nobody is doubting Garmin’s sports tracking capabilities, there’s much to be said about its smartwatch experience.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts support for a range of third-party apps available via Google Play, and plays nicely with Google services like Maps – ideal for navigation. It also ties in well with Samsung Health, providing even more in-depth features when paired with a Samsung device.
More generally, it’s easy to use with a wide set of customisable features, including modular watchfaces, a range of widgets and much more.
The Venu X1, on the other hand, is more limited in its smartwatch capabilities. Running Garmin’s proprietary OS, it has access to some apps via the Connect IQ Store, but it doesn’t have anywhere near as many apps as the Play Store – and a similar story applies to widgets and watch faces.
You’ll still get functions like notifications, weather, and calendar support, but they aren’t quite as well-integrated as Samsung’s alternative.
The Garmin Venu X1 has a built-in torch
One of the more unique features of the Garmin Venu X1 is its built-in torch. While other manufacturers, Samsung and the Galaxy Watch Ultra included, offer torch functionality, it’s not in the same league as Garmin’s implementation.
That’s mainly because most smartwatches simply utilise the screen as the torch, turning the screen white and boosting the brightness as much as possible. This works in some situations, but it’s not the same as the traditional torch experience.
Garmin’s implementation is, however. It sports a dedicated LED light on the top side of the torch, providing a much stronger directional light for illuminating dark environments than the Galaxy Watch Ultra and most other smartwatches. It’s a niche feature, yes, but its usefulness can’t be denied.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra offers better health insights
The Garmin Venu X1 is a sports watch first and foremost – and while that means it should track your exercises exceptionally well, it falls short in the more general health tracking department.
It offers the basics, such as heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, as well as general movement and standing time tracking, with additional support for sleep tracking. However, it’s all a bit top-level, with no real insight into your data or how you can use it to improve.
That’s where smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra come in. It offers all the basics of the Venu X1 and then some, with the addition of elements like in-depth sleep tracking with guidance on how to improve your sleep, as well as sleep apnea monitoring.
It also offers complete body scanning, dubbed Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, that essentially gives you a snapshot of your composition – body fat, water percentage etc – in less than 30 seconds.
The Garmin Venu X1 has longer battery life
One of the big draws of the Galaxy Watch Ultra compared to the cheaper Galaxy Watch 7 is battery life; with a larger chassis, Samsung was able to squeeze a larger cell into the Ultra – and unsurprisingly, this translates to better battery life.
That said, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra can last a respectable three days on a single charge, extended to just over four days if you utilise the low power mode.
However, it pales in comparison to what the Garmin Venu X1 offers. Despite having a larger screen than Samsung’s alternative, the battery-friendly GarminOS allows the Venu X1 to last up to eight days in smartwatch mode – though expect that number to drop if you use elements like the most advanced GPS tracking or always-on display technology.
Still, it has the ability to comfortably outpace the Galaxy Watch Ultra – on paper, at the very least.
Early thoughts
The Garmin Venu X1 is a capable, premium sports watch with light smartwatch features, but it’s a very specific buy. It requires you to prioritise sports tracking above all else, although elements like its large screen, built-in LED torch, and multi-day battery life also help sell it somewhat.
That said, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a lot going for it; it’s not only cheaper but offers more advanced health and fitness tracking, including elements like sleep apnoea detection, and with Wear OS on board, it has access to a wide range of third-party apps from Google Play.
That said, we’ll save our final thoughts until we’ve spent some time using the Venu X1, so check back soon.
